Tusaayaksat – Winter 2011

Editor-in-Chief Letter from the

Before Inuvialuktun became a written language, it was transmitted only orally. Through oral communication, the Inuvialuit learned about their world. This oral tradition was not only a means of communication for survival, but along with song and dance, a way of expressing deeper meanings about life. With time, change became inevitable, as without written words, the Inuvialuktun language was threatened of extinction. In an initiative to preserve the language, various language commissions created and adopted a system that could be easily taught and retained. Today, the Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre continues this legacy by taking great measures in preserving the language and by

developing educational tools to meet the needs of individuals from all walks of life. Preserving the language means preserving history of the Inuvialuit life. This issue celebrates the success that oral traditions have achieved through depicting youth and elders, growth and accomplishments, modernity and convention and as a reflection of limitless possibilities in this ever-changing world.

topsy Cockney

tusaayaksat is Inuvialuktun for “something new to hear about.”

Published quarterly by inuvialuit Communications Society at 292 Mackenzie road, inuvik, n W

p ublisher i nuvia L ui T Co MM uni C aT ion S So C ie T y editor in Chief To PS y Co CK ney managing editor Maun G Tin Assistant editor a h M ad Syed

Contributors

Ja M ie Ba ST edo, aLB er T eL ia S , Me LL i S a Lennie, Kenne T h Pee L oo L oo K , Maun G Tin

Contributing photographers i nuvia L ui T Co MM uni C aT ion S So C ie T y, i nuvia L ui T Cu LT ura L r e S our C e S Cen T re, Par K ’ S Canada, Leanne Goo S e, Louie Goo S e, Zoe h o, d avid S T uar T, Maun G Tin

Acknowledgements

KaT h L een aLL en, CaT hy Co CK ney, d e L ore S h ar L ey, Mavi S Ja C o BS on, v eroni C a Ka S oo K , Bi LL ie Lennie, CaT hy Mana GL ana, Mi K i o ’Kane, a nna Pin G o, d anie L r o G er S

d esigner d avid Li M o production a u K u ST i Media d e S i G n S T udio

ICS Board of directors president Jero M e Gordon (Aklavik)

v ice president d onna Keo G a K (Sachs harbour) treasurer d e BB i r addi ( tuktoyaktuk) directors d e L ore S h ar L ey (Inuvik) Mi LL ie Thra S her ( paulatuk) Mar G are T Kanayo K ( ulukhaktok )

PHOTO: Maung Tin

Bringing you Canada’s natural and historic treasures Mettant à votre portée les trésors naturels et historiques du Canada

Photo: M. Gillis

By Jamie Bastedo

Inuvialuit Nautchiangit

Relationships between People and Plants

Rarely will you find a more beautiful book about the land. It overflows with brilliant photographs of trees and flowers, shining landscapes and enticing close-ups, smiling faces and working hands. The writing is clear, spacious and multi-layered with fascinating facts, practical wisdom, and a multitude of local voices. But the central beauty of this book is the relationship it celebrates between the Inuvialuit people and the green neighbours with whom they share their natural home.

Crack this book open and the first words you read on the inside jacket capture the intimate spirit of this relationship. “People and plants are very alike,” says Jimmy Memogana of Ulukhaktok. “We both grow on the land.”

The book’s preface puts this relationship on centre stage. “In a relationship wrestled from one of the earth’s most demanding landscapes, the Inuvialuit have not just occupied this land, they have flourished in it. The words and thoughts of Inuvialuit elders in this book are a link to this hard-earned relationship. Plant names, medicinal uses, harvesting techniques, culinary delicacies – all point to where they have come from, to prepare those who travel ahead.”

At the official launch of this book, held on Thursday September 9th 2010, at the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) building in Inuvik, Nellie Cournoyea, Chair of the IRC conveys “Inuvialuit Nautchiangit is a book that took a long time to go over and over. It started in the fall of 2002 thanks to the support of the three project partners, IRC, the Aurora Research Institute, and Parks Canada. This book is an answer to a lot of the questions we have as Inuvialuit: What do we use [on the land]? How do we give information to our young people as they learn the traditional knowledge held by elders? How are we going to make sure that this knowledge is passed on?”

Steering the project from start to finish consisted of over fourty elders, who all played an influential role in bringing the book together along with the project researcher Robert Bandringa, an ethnobotanist from the University of British Columbia, and major financial sponsors, including Esso Imperial Oil, BP Canada, and Conoco-Phillips Canada.

Plants as traditional foods, teas, medicines, building materials, fuel, tools, dyes, fibres, glues, fragrances, ornaments, toys, games, shamanic amulets, and yes, snuff – this book’s got it all! Want to learn how to make a muskrat caller with a willow branch and »

Prepared by Inuvialuit elders with r obert Bandringa

Angel flower

kavlarnat, bearberry

l arkspur-leaved monkshood

“People and plants are very alike,” says Jimmy Memogana of Ulukhaktok. “We both grow on the land.”

r ita Allen

Plants as traditional foods, teas, medicines, building materials, fuel, tools, dyes, fibres, glues, fragrances, ornaments, toys, games, shamanic amulets, and yes, snuff – this book’s got it all!

elsie Nilgak

Wild Flowers

Small Flower Anemone

Arctic Willow

birch bark? How to start a tundra campfire with fuzz from a woolly lousewort? Or how to make “Eskimo ice-cream” out of cranberries and caribou fat? Look no further. This book even includes a section on the simple joys of sticking a plant between your teeth and just plain chewing.

This book taught me that since the Inuvialuit first walked this land, they have been chewing on various plant parts for both nourishment and pleasure. These include the sweet, juicy springtime shoots of uqpik or willows, the tart red stems of quaqqat or Arctic dock, and the long fleshy roots of qunguliq or Arctic sorrel.

So popular is willow chewing in Aklavik, to this day, that resident Barbara Allen observes that, “In the springtime, many are seen with little cuts on either side of their mouths from pulling and eating so many willows. When the kids start eating ipsaq (willow sap), they can’t stop!”

Elder Rosie Albert told Tusaayaksat about the enduring value of plants in Inuvialuit life. When asked what kind of plants are still used today, she declared, “All kinds! Some for eating, some for medicine, some for dyeing. For instance, if you shoot your seal, you can dye it any kind of colour that suits you for making your kamiks.”

The tangy gum from spruce trees, generally known as napaaqtuq, is another traditional chewing favourite. Like most Inuvialuit who retain a strong relationship with local plants, Rosie credits her parents for teaching her what she knows about them. “If we were going to go to Kendell Island for the summer, they’d take a lot of gum from spruce trees just in case somebody got cut. I went through that myself when I had a boil in my knee at the whaling camp. So my mother put that spruce gum on my boil then put some old bread on that and wrapped it around with clean cloth and left it there for a week. No matter how sore it was, I had to suffer the pain until it went away. By then it was perfectly clear. Still works today!”

Inuvialuit Nautchiangit touches on all aspects of daily life from diet, medicine, technology, traditional beliefs, arts and crafts to associating with animals on the land. A complex concept to grasp when looked with foreign eyes; however for the Inuvialuit it is a model that defined their existence for generations and continues to do so today. It has the spirit and intent of the Inuvialuit, and the information and knowledge they can pass on – not only to the Inuvialuit but also to other people who are interested in their culture.∞

rosie Albert

Billy day

Barbara Allen

Staying

warm,

being S afe & f eeling cozy

Alici A l ennie

we A ring Muskr A t

p A rk A with blue

fox tri M Made by Winnie Co C kney.

Mukluks with flor A l

e M broidery.

Made by b illie

l ennie.

By Jamie Bastedo

TREASURES GROWN HOME–

I wear my beautiful beaded slippers wherever I go. I wear them at home in winter, relaxing by the woodstove. I wear them out on the land in summer, sitting around the campfire. As a children’s author, I’ve proudly shown them off to kids at book events from Halifax to Vancouver, from Iqaluit to Whitehorse. I’m wearing them now as I type. I’d wear them to bed if my wife let me. My slippers are adorned with two brilliant roses, one purple, one blue, set artistically against a flawless background of tight, white beads. The high cuffs of my slippers are rimmed with the softest, shiniest beaver fur imaginable. After enduring many kilometres underfoot, my slippers still retain the lovely scent of smoked moose hide.

“You have to take pride in what you do,” says Inuvik’s Jessie Colton, the gifted creator of my beaded slippers. “Don’t slap things together just to make a quick buck. Do it to get a beautiful, satisfied smile from your customer.”

I first smiled at my beaded slippers many years ago while up from Yellowknife for a meeting at Aurora College. My host, Alana Mero told me, “While you’re in town, you just have to go to IRC’s gift shop!” I took her advice and ducked out over lunch. I found the shop downtown, on the third floor of the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation’s (IRC) headquarters. There they were, sitting quietly on a shelf, my beaded slippers, virtually calling out my name. It was love at first sight.

Needless to say, I returned late to my meeting, so tantalizing were the treasures I found at the IRC gift shop. Beaded slippers, gloves and jackets, carved hunters, fishermen, drum dancers, jewelry, paintings, mitts, mukluks, traditional games, drums and CD’s of local musicians. It’s all home-grown stuff, and the main reason this place exists is to promote the local artists who create it.

“It started almost ten years ago,” says gift shop manager, Mavis Jacobson, “when IRC’s Chair, Nellie Cournoyea, used to buy things from people who wanted to sell their art in order to help them. Eventually we just started adding and adding. She bought their things for many, many years. Then we’d resell it for her. Finally it got »

We are a non-profit organization and all the money goes directly back to the artists. Basically we’re just promoting their art.

"Inuvialuk on a log". made by Betha Chicksi from tuktoyaktuk.

" t he dreamcatcher" made by James ruben from p aulatuk.

" t he Inukshook", made by Shane Goeson from Inuvik.

Children's parka made by Jessie Colton from Inuvik.

IrC gift shop.

too big and a gift shop was opened at IRC to cater the artists.”

The artists who fill the store’s shelves with their beautiful creations come from all six of the Inuvialuit communities – Aklavik, Tuktoyaktuk, Sachs Harbour, Paulatuk, Ulukhaktok, and Inuvik. “There are an awful lot of artists out there in our communities,” says Jacobson. “In Tuk, for instance there are fourteen artists in two families alone. Most of them carvers.”

One of Inuvik’s well-known carvers, Patrick Harrison, says that his carving career really took off with the support and attention provided by the gift shop. “A few years back I was looking for a place to sell my carvings and somebody told me about the gift shop. I checked it out and it seemed to be a nice place. The other places take off too much. I like to sell to people I know and a lot have been ordering stuff from me now. I think it’s mainly because of IRC. They tell all the people about my stuff, they give out my number. It seems to work well.”

Artists like Harrison couldn’t ask for a better deal. “We have no markup,” Jacobson stresses. “We keep nothing. We sell art for the same price that we buy it. We are a non-profit organization and all the money goes directly back to the artists. Basically we’re just

promoting their art.”

Who buys their stuff? “Mostly tourists,” says Jacobson, “or locals buying a present for somebody in their office or in town or for their children. It gets really busy just before Christmas.”

The gift shop doesn’t advertise much beyond Inuvik’s town bulletin and the local hotels and visitor’s centre. Mavis says, “one of the most effective PR tools is word of mouth. I can tell you it sure worked for me”.

“It’s a really good location,” says Harrison, whose soapstone and alabaster carvings can easily fetch a thousand dollars or more. “And they don’t take off any money from what I want. They advertise for me. All around, it’s pretty good.”

The gift shop and IRC also support Inuvialuit artists by helping them order raw materials such as seal pelts, moose hides, beavers, rabbits, and whatever they need. Nellie Cournoyea likes to keep her hand in the business and will pick up both artwork and orders in her many travels through the region.

“There’s a lot of nice stuff here if people want to come and take a look,” says Jacobson. “I think it helps the local economy. It helps the artists. Basically we’re here to promote the artwork of our people. They get the best price possible; and they seem happy.”∞

Seamstress Ida Inuktalik of ulukhaktok.

IrC gift shop manager mavis Jacobson. Carver p atrick harrison from Inuvik.

we

are bea U tif U l

r oslyn r ogers we A ring she A red boxer be A ver M ittens. Made by Patri C ia a llen. o livi A l ennie we A ring wolverine M ittens. Made by Jennie l ennie.

By m aung t in

l eanne Goose performing at the end of the road music Festival. Inuvik, 2008.

Alittle voice inside of you resurfaces every now and then, but reality overcomes it and pushes it to a place where it remains waiting for freedom. For many, this gift becomes suppressed and morphs into the refrain: “I could have.” The courage to move forward, allow your inner voice to take shape and let your creativity flourish takes much hard work and balance. For Leanne Goose, listening to her inner voice allowed her to harness her love for music. At the age of twelve, she began writing and singing, and today that very voice has blossomed and captures the hearts of thousands. Passion for music in her family goes back three generations. Her grandmother inspired and mentored her father Louie Goose to become a musician. The memories of those years are still very vivid for Leanne as she explains, “there was always music in the house, somebody played the guitar, a drummer drumming or a base player who would fill the air in every corner of the house with music…and soon I found myself falling into it”. Louie Goose has been a musician for over 48 years. Today, at the age of sixty he continues to entertain audiences. Last year at the End of the Road Music Festival, his appearance on stage was cheered on with much applause as he took his audience to a place of wonders with his melodious songs.

Perseverance, sacrifice and hope paved the road for Leanne’s success. There was a moment in her life when she had to put music aside in order to raise her family. Soon after, the passion found her again. When it did, it would not let her go and drove her to the

height of her current success. Eight years ago, Leanne went on a journey that would soon define her destiny as an artist. Initially, she began taking small steps by applying for grants from various organizations. She attained grants from Northwest Territories Arts Council, Canada Council for Arts and Inuvialuit Education Fund. Such support allowed her to travel, learn and become more acquainted with the theoretical aspect of music composition, voice, performance, and musical instruments. At the aboriginal music camp, she learned and breathed music and established a network of artists that shaped and mentored her passion. She furthered her study by attending the University of Manitoba and St. Germain Music Studio where she learned about voice, music theory, composition; how to play the piano, and the guitar.

Gradually, Leanne began to understand what her needs were as an artist. She had to understand herself as an artist before she was able to learn how to utilize the gift she was blessed with. When asked about this, Leanne explains, “I learned it by asking myself what I like, How I like it, What tones I like to hear, What keys I sing in, The way I am going to inhale and exhale the next breath over a word or under a word. All these things have to be put into context…music is like learning a new language.”

Her first album, entitled “Anywhere,” received much praise and was nominated by many music award ceremonies, including the Aboriginal Peoples Choice Music Awards and Canadian Aboriginal Music Awards. Success of the album opened up a world of opportunity for Leanne to travel across Canada and

l eanne Goose performing at the Canadian Aboriginal music Awards Soundcheck. rogers Centre, 2008.

Albert elias, Clara elias, and l eanne Goose. Sachs harbour, 1976.

the U.S. Being able to perform live has brought about new experiences, giving her a chance to explore and learn how to read the crowd, as well as network with other artists.

Creativity comes out of the blue Leanne says, “Some of the best ideas come at unexpected times, I remember sitting on the bathroom floor of the hotel with a notebook writing down music.” She also gains strength from the knowledge that all of her experiences have allowed her to grow as an artist and overcome many obstacles and fears. She explains that, “playing in your hometown is comforting but playing in a stadium with 2500 people looking back at you is a whole different experience. Lights on, cameras going, flashes all over the place…adrenalin rush kicks in, your nerves all out of whack and all you are thinking of is “what ifs”…this is called stage fright and I have experienced it. This experience has completely changed the way that I am and who I am.”

Her latest album titled “Got You Covered” is a country music album that touches on the themes of childhood, relationships, love and hurt. The title of the album was a concept inspired by her fans. This is also an album dedicated to all her fans and individuals who have gotten her to where she is now.

Geographical isolation of Inuvik was a challenge for Leanne as an emerging artist. There are many talented artists in Inuvik, but the lack of infrastructure and support is an obstacle to their growth. To overcome this barrier, Leanne has setup workshop seminars allowing individuals to learn about every facet of creating music. In the workshops, she incorporates

learning to play different instruments, voice refine ment, and song writing. This basic knowledge allows individuals to understand their strength and weaknesses so that they are able to develop with time and focus on the next step.

Leanne is planning on expanding these workshops so that they will help individuals promote themselves using interactive media. For instance, she envisions the artists in Inuvik could increase their use of Facebook and Youtube to garner exposure. Creativity and business go hand-in-hand and emerge as an essential tandem in order for artists to survive. Leanne explains, “when I decided to go through with the process eight years ago, I was not in it for the pay. Going to school, paying for the rent, making sure bills are covered and trying to focus on my goals required a lot of devotion and time…it’s a completely different lifestyle…but now it’s different, you have to incorporate talent with business”. For any true artist who performs with their heart and soul, building a base is paramount to their success.

Leanne is in it for the long haul and shares that her next album will be country-rock based, with a hint of blues and a touch of classical music, giving it a funky and organic feel. For all the aspiring artists out there, Leanne provides them with sage advice: “go after your dreams. Trust your gut feeling and where you are going with your music. Practice as much as you can. Have a strong belief that you are going to get to where you want to go. You are your own best critic. Watch your attitude because it’s a treat to work with real great people.”∞

l eanne Goose with the mackenzie d elta Band: kurt k lassen, l ouie Goose, ron dillman and raymond vandermeys. Inuvik, 1979.

louie Goose performing live at Jim koe park Inuit Conference,Circumpolar 1989.

BACK ON THE MAP

Revitalizing Reindeer Station, Renewing a People

By Jamie Bastedo

While paddling down the Mackenzie River, all the way from Fort Providence to East Whitefish Station on the beloved Beaufort coast, I packed along the standard navigation charts that any first-time traveler down the river should carry. Even though these charts were published just a few decades ago, they still showed little clusters of long-gone buildings that were once thriving trading posts, sawmills, or traditional gathering places supporting an active land-based economy. For instance, not far downstream from Fort Good Hope, we encountered some American kayakers looking forward to a hot shower and maybe some ice cream at Little Chicago. Their map – same as mine –suggested a bustling village. What they eventually discovered was a humble plywood shack and an overgrown graveyard.

A view of reindeer Station from the river.

Then there’s Reindeer Station. On my map it too looked like a busy place. Between the Delta’s Oniak Channel and Reindeer Station, we paddled down a saber-straight stretch of river that skirts the base of the beautiful Caribou Hills. While keeping an eye out for Reindeer Station – or what was left of it – I thought about the Inuvialuit reindeer herders who, for decades, roamed with the reindeer as they grazed the bald tundra just above those hills.

It all started in the early 1900s, when wild caribou, a crucial food source for the Inuvialuit, became scarce. The federal government transplanted a herd of domestic reindeer from Alaska to this region and encouraged Inuvialuit to become herders. Reindeer Station was built as a base for the new reindeer industry. Called Qun'ngilaat by most Inuvialuit, this station was indeed like a small town with houses, a school, a trading post, workshops and warehouses.

“We had happy times here,” remembers Ellen Binder who lived at Reindeer Station in its heyday,

“because everyone was treated the same. We were all issued a tent and a stove and ration every month and reindeer to eat. Everyone was happy.”

Former reindeer herder, David Roland, recalls the day he was first hired. “I had to ski out to the herd – fifteen miles. I'd never skied in my life before. Boy! When I got to the herd I stayed in the tent for two days because my legs were so tired.”

Somewhere deep in the halls of Ottawa’s federal bureaucracy, someone in the late 1960s decided to move the base of reindeer operations to Inuvik. That brought an end to the way of life enjoyed by Ellen and David and hundreds of other local people who had worked and lived at Reindeer Station over the years. The station was abandoned and basically left to rot.

When we landed our canoes there a few summers back, the only prominent structure left standing was the station manager’s two-storey house, built in the 1930s, which once resounded to the music of all-night square dancing and fiddling among local herders. We also found a few cabins that looked like they were »

duane Smith measuring the open space in front of the newly constructed cabins.

Final construction phase of the new cabins at reindeer Station.

reindeer Station: l ooking towards the east Branch r iver.

still maintained for trapping, hunting, fishing or plain old relaxing on the land.

That was about it. This traditional hub of Inuvialuit culture, soaked in history but cherished in living memory by only a few, seemed like a pretty overgrown and forgotten place.

Not anymore.

The Inuvik Community Corporation is breathing new life into Reindeer Station. Leading the charge is the Corporation’s chair, Duane Smith who has a special attachment to the place. “We used to live out there. I spent my first year and a half there. There are quite a few people that were born there including a couple of my older siblings. My grandfather used to be the manager of the Inuvialuit workers. I still have his old notebook describing all the activities out there.”

Duane’s original vision was to revitalize the site to provide a consistent, easily accessible, land-based location for Inuvialuit culture and language programs. He worked hard at the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation (IRC) level to find funding for a project that has since

gained a lot of momentum and public support. “For many years, it has been the wish of a lot of beneficiaries, especially elders,” Duane told Tusaayaksat, “to see this place restored.

With the funds freed up, Duane helped organize multiple work parties and spent many hours on site leading hands-on activities that have transformed Reindeer Station from a decaying remnant of Inuvialuit history to a vibrant and welcoming facility. He gets a lot of satisfaction describing features of the new improved site. “The main building will be 24 by 48 feet with a large deck. We hope to build a large platform for outside functions in front of the main facility. We also have four 16 by 16-insulated cabins plus four tent frames. There are some older buildings on site but our intent is to just leave those alone to help preserve them. Roughly three hundred square metres have been cleared of brush.”

Now that most of the on-the-ground work is over, the Inuvik Community Corporation is focusing on the kinds of programs that could be offered at Reindeer

hudson's Bay staff house.

Station. Duane stresses these are still very much a work in progress. “Once we assess what programs are needed and how they match up with existing facilities in the community or region, we would look at the calendar and see how and when we would potentially use this facility.”

Duane envisions elders and youth coming out to the site, sharing some quality time and hands-on experiences together. “Kids could hear directly from our elders about our people, our culture, our history, and learn things about day-to-day activities around here as well. It’s such a nice place for them to be using and it gets you away from that classroom atmosphere.”

The intent is to complement, not replace, existing Inuvialuit culture programs, whether in Inuvik or other communities. “We felt that some of our community programs might be enhanced by delivering them out on the land to get people away from any distractions.”

Duane does his best to dispel the idea that Reindeer Station is a hard place to get to. “From an Inuvialuit perspective it isn’t really that far away. It’s very close

when you look at how the Inuvialuit travel around. For instance going to the coast to do their whaling is not considered a long trip at all. That’s roughly four times farther away from Inuvik than Reindeer Station. When the Station was still being used and Inuvik was being constructed, people used to regularly ski back and forth between the two places. It’s really how you look at distance. It’s less than an hour by boat depending on how fast you go.”

Once programming plans take shape, Duane hopes to arrange a convenient and economical system for both winter and summer transportation. “Safety, he adds, “will always be our primary concern whatever the season.”

No one knows yet whether the facility will operate all year. It will depend on the kinds of programs offered, the level of demand, and of course, funding. “We may shut it down for the winter and have it periodically checked on. Or we may have a manager on site. We’d have to put a budget together to accommodate that person. Or it could be a couple or a family »

veronica kasook corporate manager of ICC.

Foreman Archie kaglik.

that stays out there.

Besides formal language and cultural programs, Reindeer Station will likely be made available for regular folks to just get out and enjoy the land. “We also want to keep periodic windows open for Inuvialuit families to go out there and use the facility for short term purposes. It’s a nice place, not that far away, and a lot of families really don’t have the opportunity to get out on the land. We still have to develop some policies and guidelines that we would expect our beneficiaries to follow out of respect for the site.”

While most of the on-site work is over, there’s still much to be done. “It’s happening as quickly as they can pound the hammers and shred the willows. There’s a huge pile of brush and metal debris that has to be disposed of. We also need to develop a water and sewage plan for the facility.”

Securing long-term funding support is another item on Duane’s to-do list. “That’s the next step that the community corporation will take. Hopefully all the beneficiaries will help us out in that respect. We have

to recognize that we can’t fully depend on government funding in the long term. We will have to try to find a variety of funding sources; government is just one option. We’re also looking at foundations or private donors to help with the upkeep of this place because of its history.”

These days, there’s a lot more meat on the bones of Duane Smith’s original vision for Reindeer Station. He, and the Inuvik Community Corporation he represents, has helped put this cultural hub back on the map. “Once Reindeer Station is completely the way we see it, we hope people will respect and use this site. We hope to see it continuously used, kept up by the people themselves, that they’ll bring their families, their kids, everybody. We hope that our school programs will bring kids out here to get a real good experience out on the land, to learn about the history of this place, about the Inuvialuit in the region. Just to see a bunch of people using this site, especially kids, because it’s such a nice relaxing place, it’s not that far to get to – that’s what we hope to see in the future.”∞

p at Wilki construction labourer at reindeer Station.

duane Smith sits on a boat over-looking reindeer Station from a distance.

reindeer hills near reindeer Station, 1952.

EldEr Story: Beginning of the Eskimo People

By Kenneth Peeloolook

kenneth p eeloolook

“This story has been passed down for many generations. It was a long time ago on the Southern Alaska coast where it was believed this story took place. The area was described as a good hunting place and was near a mountainous area. There were many trees and the game was abundant with mountain sheep and caribou.

A man, his wife and their son lived close to the community. They were a happy family. One morning, the man looked in the distance and saw a black object rising from the horizon. He looked to the earth and before him on the ground

appeared blackness. He was worried and became afraid of what appeared. He looked again to see if it was his mind playing tricks on him, but it became clear that this sight was no illusion and it was real. He had experienced many floods in his times, but the sky did not tell the tale of such blackness as it did now.

He talked with his wife and explained what he had seen. His wife said it was indeed a sign for him to prepare for a flood that they had never experienced before. From the sign, the danger would be long with them. The couple then »

In the story “Beginning of the Eskimo People elder Kenneth Peeloolook tells a tale of how life began for the Inuit. In the context of Peeloolook’s story, the meaning of hardship, strength, trust and fear displays an individual's determination. the road to rebuilding a society portrayed in the story is similar to the modern-day civilization that relies on the voices of the elders in setting a strong foundation for future generations.

began to gather all the material they needed to build a sturdy raft that would carry them through the toughest time of their lives. Many yards of ugruk skin rope were made. Trees of the largest and strongest quality were cut and laid upon the ground, making the layers of logs four deep. The ugruk rope bound the logs together. The man worked very quickly as he knew that he would have only a short time for preparation. In the distance, the black object rose higher and higher consuming the horizon, and constantly growing larger as the days passed.

The man knew that he must continue to work even though he grew tired. He asked others to help him but they only laughed and told him he was getting excited about the things he did not know. They questioned him as to “why such a thing was going to happen if it never happened before? After all, why make such a huge raft and on top of it all, make it on the

ground?” The man was regarded as very foolish and unproductive. Indeed, what sort of man was this who became excited about such a little matter when everyone was well off? Hence, he was left to his own devices.

A young orphan girl was the only other person who helped the family. She did not have any parents and wandered around the village, moving from family to family. When she came by and saw the building of the huge raft, she was more than happy to help.

As the black clouds rose higher and higher, the sky darkened and the four people—husband, wife, their son and the girl—worked harder to get everything prepared. Once the logs were bound, a tent frame was built on the raft and covered with treated caribou skin. The skins were treated so that the water would not penetrate through the skin. The tent frame was made with the heavies of willows,

fastened to the logs. A stone anchor was made and was secured to the raft. Then the rain began, the black clouds covered the sky and darkened the earth. It rained until the earth gradually disappeared. Those who had not heeded the warning cried out for help but it was too late for any help.

The storm continued for many weeks until all of the land disappeared. Eventually, the storm grew quieter, although it continued to rain. The waves pushed at the raft, threatening to overturn all those who occupied the retreat. “Do not be afraid my wife,” said the man. “We will not drown like the others.” Soon, even the mountains had gone under water. The land had sunk.

The couple, their boy, and the girl slept to conserve their strength. They awoke when they felt a tug on the raft. It appeared the anchor had lodged onto something. They found when they awoke that

the water was still high but appeared to be receding. The raft was still as they waited until the time they were able to go onto the earth once again. When they felt quite safe, they made a camp and began to live a life with good principles and understanding. The orphan girl and son of the hunter lived together and soon had children of their own. It is said that the Eskimo people began from that time onwards, and each year the children grew in numbers. The husband and wife advised the young people how to live a strong and healthy life-style.

This story was passed down through the generations. Its origin is not completely known, however, it is believed the Eskimo people originated on Alaska’s southwest coast. There is a place where, to this day, one can find whalebones and remains of dead fish high in the mountains, which can barely be seen from the lowlands except on a very clear day.”∞

AngAyuPtA unIPKAAngIt:

Sivuliit Inuvialuit

Atia Kenneth Peeloolook Mumikti Albert Elias

kenneth p eeloolook

tajvani unipkaami "Sivuliit Inuvialuit" Kenneth Peeloolook quliaqsimayuaq qanuq

Inuit inuguqtilaangitigun. Peelooloom quliangani tajva takupkaraatigut atautchim inuum nikaiqsuqtilaangatigun inuusiq nanginaraluaqtilugu. uvani quliaqtuami

nakarnaituq tajva angayupta uqausiit malirutqaaratigit ilurilaitpangniqtuanni.

Una quliaqtuaq ingilraanitaq. Ingilraakaluk taunanikaluk Alaska-m sinaani tajva una quliaqtuaq aulaqiyuaq. Nuna taavangna tusarnaqtuq anguniarvigiktuaq, irrit qaningani.

Angunlu nulianilu irniqtiklu inuuniaqsimayuat inuuvium qaningani. Quviasuktut. Ublaasiami angun taamna nasilluni qirniqluni suna taima takutkara ungasiktuq taava. Unmun qiviarami nuna taunna qirniqtuq. Isumaaluakihlaqtuq iqsisaklunilu takumayaminik. Qiviatqikhluni qapirusukhluni, aglaan tajva ilumun nakarnaituq takumaniqtuaq.

Inuusirmini uliqpait takumavagait aglaan tajva silam nalunaqipkagaa taamna qirniqtuaq.

Nuliani quliutayaa takumayaminik.

Nuliangan kiuya tajva nalunaittuq sanaiyarnaqiniqtutin uliqpak tikitinagu.

Takumayan nalunaittuq, iqsinaqtuksaq.

Taima nuliariik tajvangaaniin qiyungnik pukuakiqtuak umiaksamingnik. Ulurianqtuamin inuutchimin akpautisukhlutik.

Ugyuit amiinnik akhlunaaliuqhlutik takiyukalungnik. Napaaqtut anginiqsat silingniqsat kibluqhlugit nunamun iliblugit, quliriilqhlugit sitamanik. Aklunaanik »

qiliqsuqhlugit. Angun taamna qilamiiqsuqhluni savaksimyuq. Ami uva ilisimayuq sivikitumik savaktuksaq. Taavakaluk qirniqtuq qutchiksimun aulayuq, sila talumagaa. Ubluq tamaan aglimun igliqtuq.

Taamna angun ilisimayuq tajva yaragaluarluni savaktuksaq nutqalaittuq. Ikayuqubluni apiqsivakaluaqtuaq alanin

aglaan iglautigiginaqpagaat. Uqalakhlutik tajva naluugaqhlutin taimaliukiqtutin.

Apiriyaat, “suuq uva angivalaaqtumik umialuikiqpit, nunami?” Kangiqsimangituq unniqhlugu, sukaitpalaariblugu.

Suuq uva qanusiugami inuk kangiqsimani. Tamapta uva ayupsangaittugut. Taima qaunagingitaat.

Niviaqsiraq, arnaq tajvatualuum ikayupaluksimayait taapkuat. Aapaituq, amaamaittuq, inungnun sanguugaqsinaqtuq.

Qaigami, umiaq takugamiung iqiasungituq, ikayuruktuq. Nuvuyaqhluit qirniqtut qutchiksimun igliqtut, sila daaqsivaliayuq: taapkuat inuit sitamauyut savaktut inirukhlugu. Qiyuit qilimariksimata, tuktut amingit tupiq napagaat. Ammit qinilaiyaqtat. Tupqum tuqhlugutait siliktut uvillut, qiyungnun qiliqtat. Uyaraq kisaksaq umiamun sanaiqhlugu. Silaluakihlaqtuq, nuvuyaqhluit daaqtut sila talublugu, nuna daaqsiblugu. Silaluataqhluni nuna taliktuq. Tamatkuat inuit tusaamasungituat qiagaluaqtut tajva suviittuq.

Sivituyukalungmik silaqhluktuaq. Nuna takunaiqhlugu. Silaluataqtilugu anuri palangaqsimaakiqtuaq. Ungiulikpait tinuuqsimagaat umiaqtik, inuit imaarnapitaqtut. “Uumaa iqsinak” angun uqalaktuq. “Imaalaitugut ilaptiktun”. Kiisaima irriraluat takunaiqtuat. Nuna kiviyuatun ilibluni.

Taapkuak nuliariik, irniqtiklu arnarlu taamna sinikpaktuat yaraiqsiqhlutik.

Tupahlaqtut umiaq nutqahlakman. Kisaq sumun naktiluni. Tupakamik ilitchuriyuat tajva imailaqsimaakirniqtuaq. Umiaq sayungituq. Utaqiugaqhlutik taimana nunamuhlaqtut. Annaktuatun iligamik iniksaliuqhlutik inuuniakihlaqtut nakuuyukkun.

Taimanaguuq tajva Inuvialuit tajvanga aulaqiyuat. Naublutik aasiin.

Taapkuak nuliariik nukatpiqat uqautivagait iluatun inuutqublugit, munaqiriqublugit.”

Unipkaaq una ingilraanitaq. Nakin aulaqitilaanga nalunaraluaqtuq tajva aglaan Inuvialuitguuq Alaska-m ungataanin tarium sinaanin qaimayut. Irrit

qaangani atautchimi qilalukkalu iqaluillu saunrit takunaqtut suli qangma natirnamin silagingman.∞

Alici A l ennie we A ring

Muskox qiviut wool gloves.

Made by l ena Wolki.

SUPPLY & DEMAND

meeting the Need for Inuvialuit Cultural resources

By Jamie Bastedo

the Inuvialuit Cultural resource Centre, or ICrC, goes a long way in bringing both sides of the cultural coin together – those who have rich resources about Inuvialuit culture and those who sorely need it. tusaayaksat explored the supply side of this challenge by going straight to the source – to Cathy Cockney, ICrC’s dedicated manager. on the demand side, we spoke with Anna pingo, an Inuvik high school teacher who needs every resource she can get her hands on to bring Inuvialuit culture alive for her students.

A view of the Inuvialuit Cultural resource Centre.

Cathy Cockney explains that the Resource Centre was established in 1997 under the Inuvialuit Regional Corporation’s (IRC) Social Development Program, as part of their commitment to work more closely with teachers to revive and maintain the Inuvialuit language. The centre’s main goals are to develop resources on Inuvialuit culture, help the region’s school teachers implement their language curriculum, and support all six Inuvialuit communities in their language programs.

When the current centre opened its doors a few years ago, very few people knew it existed, even though it appeared regularly in IRC’s annual report. “I and my staff have tried very hard to get the information out there,” says Cathy, “to let people know that the Centre is in an actual building with all these available resources. I think we’ve done a good job, especially through our calendars and being more visible. For example we set up a table on Inuvialuit Day and we give away resources to the public. That’s one thing about the Centre; we give lots of materials away

so people don’t have to buy them.”

The centre, now located at 292 Mackenzie Road, second floor, is drawing much more interest these days, especially from language teachers across the region as well as researchers in southern Canada and beyond, who have a special interest in Inuvialuit culture. They’re all harvesting the centre’s unique resources, which include both historical and current information presented in every format imaginable – books, videos, CDs, DVDs, reports and maps.

“We have a full library here,” says Cathy. “It’s well maintained. We’re adding new material all the time. Most of it is on Inuit and Inuvialuit culture and language. People are welcome to come and sign out books. And not only in Inuvik, we also send books out to communities.”

Some of ICRC’s ongoing projects include compiling a book of traditional places around Tuktoyaktuk, electronically archiving tape recordings with elders, and digitizing historic and family photos from across the Inuvialuit Settlement Region. Cathy has given high priority to making this kind of material more

accessible to people through the Internet. This is especially important for more remote communities. “Almost every household now has a computer and people can do a lot of their research online rather than having to come in here. We know that young people want to access information this way, so we’re working on that. We may set up a web page of our own or have a link on IRC’s site.”

If you’re a teacher, having to deliver a fast-changing Inuvialuit curriculum to students who are bombarded with daily digital distractions from around the world, the Resource Centre is more than a cultural treasure trove. It’s a life-saver.

Enter Anna Pingo, a teacher at Inuvik’s Samuel

Hearne Secondary School. She teaches Inuvialuktun language classes to grades 7 to 9 as well as Northern Studies and an in-depth course for senior high students on Inuvialuit history and culture.

One of the biggest hurdles for teachers like Anna is that most of the junior high students who walk into her class can barely speak a few words of Inuvialuktun, their supposed native tongue. “I shouldn’t say that we’ve lost the language,” Anna says, “I’m not sure how many elders still speak it. But most of my junior high students won’t be able to understand them.” Anna herself is not fluent in Inuvialuktun but she’s improving day-by-day.

“I don’t speak the language,” Anna admits, “ »

“We have a full library here,” says Cathy. “It’s well maintained. We’re adding new material all the time.

but now I’m starting to pick up what the elders are saying. I’m remembering those basic words that I teach the students. I tell my husband, ‘Hey, I know what they’re talking about!’

How much Inuvialuktun do students pick up from committed language teachers like Anna? “When it comes to the student, it depends on who they are and what they want to learn,” she says, “because sometimes they’re into the new generation things like their iPods and computer games. If they’re more interested in that, it might take them a little longer to pay attention to the language we’re teaching. If they don’t hear it fluently all the time, it’s really hard to understand.”

In spite of such odds, Anna has a 2nd language curriculum to deliver, a big part of which has to do with language. Thanks to the many fun, interactive and home-grown teaching resources offered by the Inuvialuit Cultural Resource Centre, Anna reports that her students are really enjoying the curriculum. “The centre puts a lot of games into the lessons so the students like to play these interactive activities that are connected to the lessons. They might be racing games,

for instance, where two groups of students are given a little tapper. Then, if I yell out one of our words, like avu, which means sugar, they have to race around and try to beat the other team in tapping the sugar picture. They look to me to see if they got it right. Those kinds of games they really enjoy.”

IRC has helped pave a two-way street between teachers and the resource centre, resulting in the development of teaching tools that are tied closely to the evolving language curriculum. Anna gives these materials high marks.

“Right now they are trying to implement a new curriculum for which they hire elders to go over the different units – like weather, heavenly phenomena, and food. It’s nice because this curriculum gets us more into doing sentences rather than just words all the time. It used to be just one word – this is what this means, this is what that means. But now with the new curriculum we’re able to give students much more. That’s one thing I really like about the Resource Centre, how they’re creating these teaching tools for us. It makes it so much easier.”

Whenever Anna gets word of new resources at the centre, she goes right over and checks them out. “They always welcome us and encourage us to borrow materials. They have all these songs in our language, ready for use if we want to implement them into our teaching. We’re able to go down there and take whatever we need and integrate it into our “classes”.

Down the road, Anna would like to see more variety of teaching tools coming out of the resource centre such as interactive CDs with cartoon people. Who knows? Maybe someday her language-teaching instrument(s) will include an animated drum dancer, polar bear, or beluga whale.

The welcome mat is always rolled for teachers and anyone else interested in Inuvialuit culture. For those who can go in and actually shake Cathy’s hand and explore the treasures on the shelves, your visit will be richly rewarded. “If people visit Inuvik, they should make an effort to come in and see what’s available here.”∞

teacher Anna pingo in her classroom at Samuel hearne Secondary School.

tapestry on ICrC wall. made by Agnes kuptana.

A National

Lakes that are over two meters deep generally do not freeze throughout and their lakebeds can remain unfrozen. What happens if these lakes partially drain? Well that is when the excitement begins. The waterlogged sand begins to freeze, the water begins to expand and the pressures of these forces begin to create a small hill. Fast-forward to hundreds of years and this small hill grows in size making it a landmark. For the Inuvialuit these landmarks have been used for centuries as a guide for hunters and travelers and today they are known as Pingos.

Tuktoyaktuk in the Northwest Territories is the perfect getaway for exploring Canada’s Pingos. It has the largest concentration of Pingos (approximately 1,350). There are eight primary Pingos contained in a protected area of about 16 square kilometers. The program to preserve the Pingos was established during the signing of the Inuvialuit Final Agreement. Today

it is known as a National Landmark. Ibyuk Pingo, name of the largest of the eight is Canada’s biggest and the World’s second largest Pingo; its circumference measures 300 metres and it has an altitude of 48 metres in height, which is equivalent to a 16-story office building.

In the summer, tour companies can get you toand-from Tuktoyaktuk either by a short plane ride or a scenic boat ride through the Mackenzie Delta. Once there, local tour operators can bring you to dip your toe into the Arctic Ocean. Summer visitation to Ibyuk is expected to increase due to the panoramic boardwalk built last summer making Pingos easily accessible to tourists. The project took years of consultation and planning. Parks Canada and Canada’s Economic Action Plan made funding of the project possible. Community support was tremendous. The boardwalk consists of 429 meters in length, and ends at a circular platform providing for beautiful views

park's Canada product development officer mellisa lennie. october, 2010.

Ibyuk and Split pingo. August, 2010.

Split pingo. visitors looking out at the pingos from the newly built boardwalk. August, 2010.

Landmark

By m elissa l ennie

and photographing opportunities of Ibyuk and its surrounding landscape. An official opening celebration is in the works for summer 2011 to mark the completion of the boardwalk.

Building the breathtaking access to the Pingo is a significant accomplishment for both Parks Canada and the Inuvialuit. It is hoped that this will promote tourism, increasing visitation by the residents of Tuktoyaktuk and educate individuals about the profound landmark. The access will also provide business for tour operators and facilitate in-depth training for them by Parks Canada and Industry Tourism and Investment (ITI). Visit the landmark and see for yourself the natural formation that took hundreds of years to develop.∞

For more information on tour operators offering trips to the boardwalk next summer, call the Parks Canada office at 867-777-8800.

Inuvik 2010 Craft Fair

SIMply beAutIful Art work gAtherS huNdredS IN INuvIk

Inuvik held its annual craft fair on the last weekend of November at the Midnight Sun Complex drawing in hundreds of people from the surrounding communities. Artists poured in numbers displaying their crafts, which included hand-made mittens, boots, hats, stuffed animals and more.

Clockwise (from top): Annie Goose, from ulukhaktok conveys that the territorial government's Genuine mackenzie valley Furs program had made furs more accessible. " our hunters in our communities go on the ocean. t he fur goes out of our community and gets tanned, and then it's sent back up to the communities for women to purchase and made into crafts. each woman’s work has its own distinctive style. p eople can easily tell the artist behind the works'. mary okheena, from ulukhaktok was selling prints made on heavy paper with brushes and dry powder ink. Images in her catalogue include animals, children sledding, arctic sports, hunting scenes, the blanket toss, and traditional Inuvialuit life. Agnes kuptana, from ulukhaktok who began sewing at a very young age. kuptana conveys, "when I was growing up, we lived in the hunting camps. In the evening, we would listen to stories from our grandparents while scraping skins. t hey taught us how to make patterns and trace it out, and how to sew and stitch. t hey watched us closely. If we made a mistake it was okay — they told us to keep sewing and that the next item would turn out better”. Judy o kheena conveys, "I learned how to sew from my grandmother, my father, and my mother. t hey taught me how to sew my own clothing that I would wear for the winter. We made different clothing for spring, summer and winter," okheena added that crafts provide a much-needed economic boost to communities. "Some women, if they don't have work, they can spend time by sewing.

Aurora College Community Cr A ft fAI r

ArtS, CrAftS, food, CANdy ANd fAMIlIAr fACeS

PHOTO

S : Maung Tin

miranda memogana

Wool mittens.

Cassandra Collinson, Bonnie ross, and Carol maring.

preserves made by marija van Nieuwenhuyuyzen.

Craig kuptana

ChristmasCommunityConcert

ChristmasCommunityConcert

at the Igloo Church

at the Igloo Church

“…And an angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were filled with fear. And the angel said to them, “Fear not, for behold, I bring you good news of a great joy that will be for all the people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. And this will be a sign for you: you will find a baby wrapped in swaddling cloths and lying in a manger.”

luke 2:9-12

kyra m cdonald-Gordon

Shannon Furlong